Cineversity

Hello Sassi, hope you are well.

I need some help spherizing a spline similar to the one in the video file below. Creating the 2d geometry (similar to the seed of life) is the easy part, but how can I map geometry like this to a sphere?

https://www.dropbox.com/s/wpil3i61su2yxhd/life-sphere.mp4?dl=1

Thanks for any guidance…
David

Hi David,

Thank you, I hope you are doing fine as well.

Please have a look at the four different files below.
Scene files 01-11-21-31
https://www.amazon.com/clouddrive/share/0BTB3NPzPXqOKyVAnjg5GqS3iv266MubFfvtVRoiaZD

I hope there is at least one in it that will create the result you are after.

The first one draws the spline with a Tracer, you need to set the Animation> Play Mode> Simple. When it reached the end, you can select the Tracer and use the Object Manager> Objects> Current State To Object.

The files 11 and 21 have a little support from the Spherify Deformer. So, it gets forced into a sphere.

Let me know if you have any questions.

ENJOY

P.S.: Here is another one

Scene file 41
https://www.amazon.com/clouddrive/share/DlIylZ4EXXR5KPlnmsOB5nM7bg86PvyB9kooaV8gP5v

Screen-shot
https://www.amazon.com/clouddrive/share/OtzSXwMcHku3VaVTToV7juhYGzXosxuoCW7yKvZTqL2

Scene file 51
https://www.amazon.com/clouddrive/share/iiJahn5SLm5F4Z7ZKazoSExj33Wti2UPXJQoiLTeTVM

Each of these set-ups follows a different approach, and I hope that exploring them will increase the creative library.

Much appreciate your illuminating help Sassi. I will explore these different techniques for sure.

Those formulas look crazy!

Thank you,
David

You’re very welcome, David.

The formulas are kept at a minimum. To have a helix describing a circle while following the sphere surface is a little bit more complicated, hence the Spherify as an aid.
The Sin and Cos functions are best explained with a Unit Circle (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unit_circle)
I had the luck to visit many different schools, so I was not just exposed to only lousy math teachers, I also had a good one. He didn’t start with the formulas, he drew a circle and explained the relations of triangles inside of the circle. Since the radius is set to one, any math is much simpler. I have used this option since, and for many Cinema 4D setups, like motors with pistons, etc.

If there are any questions, please - as usual, never hesitate to ask.

Cheers

I wish my math teacher had the same approach using the visual representation you describe. A subject such as math really needs a special teaching approach for it to be absorbed.

Your example prompted me to share the relationship of the proportions of the Great Pyramid of Giza with Earth. If you’re interested have a read of the article below and scroll down to the image of the Earth, Moon and Pyramid proportions. Fascinating read. The Egyptians were masters of geometry.

https://grahamhancock.com/onstotts1/

As always, thanks for your ongoing help in making newbies like me look at creating these scenes through a different eye.

-David

Hi David,

Learning has one key obstacle in it when there is a belief system established that something is complicated. The first seed to get to something limiting like this is the argument: “I will learn it when I need it”.

Mathematics initiate thinking on a different level. With an excellent package of mathematical knowledge you can see the world differently. Think of it as seeing the world without colors, black and white, because someone was under the impression, I learn colors when I need it. This sounds weird, as sounds the argument above to me.

Take your explorations with geometry, for example, things might be built on some connections, like ratios, or other structure building formulas. Your link shows someone who plays with it, and it is undoubtedly fascinating to dive this deep into it.
The given freedom that the author takes might be needed to unlock some secrets. But on the other hand, there is so much in his discussion, that I thought more often than not, yes, switching measurement systems gives one a cool number to show. (Why not doing all the measurements in the Egypt way, the Royal Cubit for example (The royal cubit comprised seven palm widths each of four digits of thumb width, so that it could be divided into a total of 28 digits. Wiki)
So, what has meter and inch at all to do with it? But I digress, All that mathematics can do is to set the world and with it our reality into numbers. Higher mathematics allows to set even the unthinkable into numbers, or at least that’s the plan.

To start modeling means to me, to begin learning geometry and math to the degree that it exceeds the needs of it. My roots are in architecture, and having enjoyed many educations, e.g., to be an official Draftsmen and later an Architect, I loved to rely on mathematics. Even today, where I live for many decades mainly the life of an artist, I like to have mathematics as a tool available.
Here is a link of the last building I have designed as office manager and project/design lead. I worked on 18 projects at the same time back then.
https://goo.gl/maps/NrCXARRqumcDUNBo6
You can see how the form is related to the context. There was a lot of geometrical thinking needed before it went into the CAD (Allplan - of course).

Enjoy

Very interesting, thank you for sharing your story.

-David

Thank you very much for your feedback, David.

I love learning and of course paying forward with sharing, as I know how much more everyone is capable of with the right information.
Information that leads to skills and having those skills elevates motivation. Which in return leads to mastering whatever was the target, a target that might have been impossible to achieve without the personal development.
I love to help here, and it supports and expands my ideas about education as well since 3D is not a small field to cover. (Cover to instruct and to learn).

Have a great weekend.

Hello again Sassi, I wanted to share with you some results of my own exploration since you kindly shared your scene files (press play in the scene file):

https://www.dropbox.com/s/icyj7cxm2whryw2/flower.c4d?dl=1

I found a technique using the tracer and a 12 sided n-gon, which then creates the shape with 12 “petals”. Of course you just change the number of sides of the n-gon to change the number of petals. Rotating the n-gon a full 360 degrees through its H and B creates the shape.

To be honest this was an accidental find just by playing rather than a scientific preparation. But as we know the accidental find is where the magic lies. I appreciate there are many ways to achieve the same outcome, as you have already shown, but I’m so pleased I found another way myself. Thanks for your inspiration and motivation in making me find this.

My only question now is, using this technique to generate the shape, how to taper the sweep thickness on the top and bottom flower shapes of the sphere. I can see the End Scale setting on the Sweep but this does not apply where I need it. Do you have any suggestions?

Thanks,
David

Hi David,

Nice that you explore it even more.

Yes, that is not a given anymore with the Sweep>Object> Detail, when only one Spline is created.

However, you can work with the Rail Spline, just a second Tracer (or instance of it) while moving the points of the Rail differently at the poles. Which creates a different scale. See the Falloff>Remap>Spline.

Scene file
https://www.amazon.com/clouddrive/share/Q6QBWwIff8xY3ubUejAgsNfKtX4aSSbcwDKq1zh6yV2

Enjoy your weekend

Many thanks, enjoy yours too.

You’re welcome, David.

If you find another exciting set-up, please share. I love the variety a lot, your last example has undoubtedly something special in it.

Cheers.